A Thief in the Night
by Hakkari
Summary: Mysterious midnight burglaries are leaving the citizens of Riften paranoid and sleepless. Could the key be the mysterious khajiit that only goes by the name 'Splotch? No pairings. Male!Dragonborn, though he doesn't really act like one. R&R.


There were always thieves in Riften, it was just the way of things. So when things started mysteriously vanishing in the middle of the night, no one thought anything of it. Until Maven Black-Briar herself was stolen from.

It wasn't a planned thing, she had stressed, gray hairs falling out as she searched every known Guild member for her precious golden statue. The town turned to betting on which member had betrayed their mistress, eagerly waiting for their heads on the chopping block. After all, the Guild had been running rampant for far too long; it was about time that they got a taste of reality.

However, the entire Ratway was searched, and not a single trace of her precious golden statue appeared. It was an outsider, and the fact that someone had barged in and interrupted their way of life made everyone nervous. Merchants were on the lookout for strangers, inn keepers hiding their money away in expensive lockboxes. The guards were placed on full time duty outside of the marketplace, ready to pounce in case someone looked at a piece of bread the wrong way.

Still the crimes continued, though, and the city was left puzzled. Guards patrolled Riften every day, every hour. How could anyone be so stealthy as to completely avoid detection? Some suspected foul play on the hands of the guards, others still believed that the Guild was behind it. For once the citizens of Riften had a common enemy; the new thief.

Outsiders were questioned, forced to sign into registries of where they'd be and what their schedule was. Among these new outsiders was a certain khajiit named Splotch.

Now, Splotch was an interesting character, charismatic but a loner type, the kind of man to wear gaudy clothes but that would also wear rags when he needed to. The guards fell in love with his charm, even inviting him to drinks at the Bee and the Barb after investigations were through. He never once said 'no' to an invitation to drink unless it was to be held outside. He couldn't stand the cold of Skyrim, he told them, huddling in his warm cloaks and daring them to feel his skin. They all agreed; he was ridiculously cold.

"Why even come to Skyrim, then?" One guard once asked as she brushed his paw, looking straight into his silver eyes. The flickering candles played off of his black fur, causing his crooked, half-white smile to seem even friendlier, if that was possible.

"Well, adventure has a strange way of making a man do stupid things, doesn't it?" The guards only muttered in agreement, a few mentioning variously placed arrows while others only shook their heads at his bravery. He treated the entire party to drinks, and after they left for their shifts he took to talking up Madesi, who was the only other being in Tamriel that seemed to share his fine taste in jewelry.

"Oh, I'd do a fine dance for one of your precious rings, Madesi! Your craftsmanship… exquisite!" The argonian handed him a dull silver ring, and he began to dance to the amusement of the guests. He then handed the ring back, smiling ever so lightly. "Oh, my dance was not worth even half of this, my friend! Keep it; times are hard, after all!"

As night fell the khajiit took to the streets, followed by an entourage of curious citizens. He only waved them off, chuckling. "Friends! My fellow kinsmen are outside of the city; I go to visit them to sell my wares! Nothing else, I promise you!" They didn't seem too pleased to leave him, but the guards were more than willing to push the bystanders away as he left through the main gate. True to his word, there were khajiit merchants outside, smiling and waving at him as he approached.

After a few hours the crowd grew bored and disintegrated, leaving only a few to wait for his return. When finally he came back through the gate, they cried out in joy, the children begging him to dance again. "Oh no, my friends, Splotch does not dance at dawn. It's bad luck, don't you know! I must return to the inn, and perhaps later I shall dance and sing for you all!"

Meanwhile, the guards had another theft on their hands, one that fell right between when the khajiit had departed and when he had returned. "Do you think that the cat is the thief?" The female guard was brushing dirt off of her leggings, eyes flickering towards her male companion. "He seemed so kind, but all clues point to him…"

"He wasn't even here when the thefts began! Besides, he was out with the merchants last night; we saw him leave with our own eyes! What, do you think he scaled the wall or somethin'?" There was a bit of doubt in the guard's words, though, and the woman did not miss it.

"Shall we question him today, then? Since he only goes out at night, according to some of the Bee and the Barb regulars, we should be able to catch him this afternoon." Neither truly wanted to question the khajiit, though everything fit perfectly. What race would be better than a cat to sneak into places they weren't supposed to? To see in the dark as well as one could in the light? "Are there any other cat-folk in the city? Perhaps working the docks? I couldn't see it being Splotch, really… Such a fine gentleman…"

The male guard considered. "It's obvious he isn't telling us everything, though. What khajiit mother would name their child _Splotch_?"

She sighed, kicking a stone with her boot. "Well, damn. I guess we'll have to question him, then, if only to cover ourselves if he ends up being the thief. But… I don't want to drag too many people into it yet. One step at a time. Maybe he'll be so kind as to just tell us why he goes by that name, and all suspicions will be dropped."

They came upon an agreement then; they would question the khajiit at noon.

**A/N: Another Skyrim story =P I know this chapter didn't seem like much, but I promise it'll get better D8 The writing style's also a bit different from **_**Of Blood, Dragons, and Romance**_**, which is still my top priority over this. Still, when you have annoying plot bunnies bouncing in your head, you gotta do your best to get rid of them D8**

**Reviews are loved :D**


End file.
